notes credsehr as they had oratorio at the African
been ccuvered.
Another example of his
showmanship was in-!
dicated when he proceed
ed to play Yankee Doodle
in B Flat with his right
hand. Fisher's Hornpipe
in C Major with his left,
sang " Tramp. Tramp,
Tramp in another key; all
in their respective tempo
and without effort. His
owners also invited
members of the audience
to submit requests for him
to play, which he did with
ease,. To increase his
repertory, professionals
were hired to play for him.
After the death of Col
onel Bethune in 1883, his
son took over Tom's
management. Upon his
death, his widow and new
t LmikI Alkart I MVh
became Tom's agent. His
last performance was in
1904. At the time of
Tom's death in 1908, he
had made several fortunes
for the Bethune family.
ANTEBELLUM -NORTH
' There was a continuing
increase in the numbers of
free blacks between 1790
and 1860, with roughly
fifty per cent, or about
244,035, residing in the
North.
Freedom guaranteed lit
tle for the black musicians
for competition was keen
between blacks and
whites, and the latter had
established themselves as
professional musicians in
theaters, ensembles, and t
the like.
After the War of 1812,
the formation of black
brass bands by returning
veterans in major cities
created an arena which
they could basically
monopolize.
Frank Johnson
(1792-1846) of
Philadelphia was a fid
dler, horn player, bugler,
bandmaster and orchestra
leader and composer who
began his career with the
organization of the Third
Company of Washington
Guards (Philadelphia). As
playerleader of this black
group, his reputation as ".
. . .one of the best per
formers on the bugle and
French horn in the United
States" led him to join
Matt Black's Marching
Band In 1818.
During 'the third and
fourth decades of the
nineteenth century, his
band (which was formed
in the 1 820' s) known as
Frank Johnson's Colored
Band, became . interna
tionally known. It was
also regularly employed
by i white fraternal
organizations in his
hometown. The band
played at dances, in
.parades, and in concerts.
Johnson's group con
sisted of woodwinds
(flutes, clarinets and bas
soons), one or two French
horns and percussion in
struments (bells, triangles,
cymbals etc.). During
parades, a drum and fife
were added to give the
regulars a rest, and strings
were added when he was
commissioned to perform
at dances. He was booked
well in advance of the
social season, at all of the
fashionable resorts along
the Eastern Seaboard.
In Richmond, Virginia
he played at the Great
Balls for the aristocracy,
and no fete was declared a
success without his ser ,
vices. At these dances, ac
cording to Robert Wain, a
writer of the period, no
better music was ever
heard. Johnson's duties at
. i .i . -i i
incsc aances inciuacu dc
v ing "sole director of all
serenades.
'.inventor-general of"
cotillions; to which add, a
remarkable taste in distor
ting a sentimental, simple
and beautiful song, intyto -reel,
jig or country
da ice." this improyisa
tiona! ability reflects.
Johnson's heritage, and
added to his popularity.
His published composi
tions included a collection ,
of cotillions and marches;
two being the Recognition
March on the In
dependence of Hayti. and
a march written expressly
,.for a Great Ball given in
General LaFayette's
honor. ;.
Johnson and his band
toured Europe in -1838.
i The highlight of his trip
presented silver cornet
by Queen Victoria after a
Command 'Performance.
Another memorable mo-,
mcnt came in'I841 when
he led1 afifty-piece or
chestra that accompanied
the ISO member Colored
Choral; Society in
Philadelphia to an
Presbyterian Church "on
Seventh Street, and at a
white church f on
CaUowhOl and New
Market Streets.
Johnson's Band con
tinued after his death with
a succession of leaden,
the first of whom was
Joseph Anderson. Several
of his bandsmen went on
to achieve some distinc
tion. They were: -
Peter O'Fake (1820-?), 1
a flutist and violinist who
was born in Newark, New
Jersey and played with
various ensembles; most
notably the Jullien Socie
ty, a well recognized white
group;
Two years before join
ing the Johnson Band in
1850, he achieved distinc
tion by being the first
black guest conductor of
the Newark Theater Or
chestra. After leaving the Band
in the 50's he formed his
own group to perform at
society events in and
around Newark. His best
known composition was
The Sleigh Ride, a
quadrille. In addition, the
talented musician directed
an Episcopal Church
Choir in his home town;
William Appo, a
violinist from Baltimore,
considered by white musi
cians to be one of ". . .
.the most learned musi
cians of his race." During
his career, he played with
Johnson's Band, con
ducted a small string
ensemble, was one of two
black musicians in The
Walnut Theater in
Philadelphia (the other
black was his brother) and ,
taught and performed in
Baltimore, Philadelphia
and New York. He finally
settled in New York City;
Henry F. Williams
(1813-C.1893), born in .
Boston and studied music'
there. As a young man, he
lived in Philadelphia while .
a member of Johnson's
Band, but he returned to
Massachusetts to teach,
compose, arrange and per
form in local bands and
orchestras. Williams ar
ranged much of the music
for white bandmaster
Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore.
In 1872, he performed
under Gilmore's direction
in an orchestra of 2,000
musicians ar the World's
Peace? Jubilee.'
His compositions in
cluded a dance suite entitl
ed Parisien. Waltzes
(1854), the songs Lauriette
(1840), and Would I'd
Never Met Thee (1876).
Williams also composed
polkas, mazurkas,
quadrilles, overtures and
anthems.
Membership in
Johnson's Band gave to
scores of competent black
musicians fleeting fame
and secure employment
during a time when
classicism was gaining in
concert halls that featured
black performers;
Justin Holland
(1816-1886), born in Nor
folk County, Virginia, the
son ; of a farmer. Early
determining that farm life
in j the repressive South
was not for him, he left
for Boston at the age of
fourteen. There hereceiv
"ed his firs J guitar and flute
lessons from two members
of j Ned Kendall's Brass
Band. He attended
Oberlin college in 1841 to
.further his studies, and
moved to Cleveland, Ohio
in 1845 where he began
teaching guitar.
Holland's determina
tion to achieve mastery of
: the instrument in the man
ner of the European artists
led him to study Italian,
French and Spanish in
7 order to-4 study in the
' language(s) of"' the
acknowledged virtuosi.
r Further, he felt unsatisfied
-with the verbal and writ
ten explanations given as
to the theory of the pro
duction of harmonic tones
on the guitar; consequent
ly, he did nothing for two
weeks except observe the
vibrations made when he
' plucked the strings of his
instrument. His scientific
research allowed him to
become a widely quoted
authority on acoustic's.
Holland arranged over
300 pieces for the. guitar;
most 6f which were sent to
him, unsolicited, by
.publishers.
The work for which he
i is chiefly noted : is
1 Holland's Comprehensive
Method For The Guitar
(1874); a standard for
many years. ' Accolades
came to him from Europe
and America, and it was
judged to be the best
prepared manuscript on
the guitar. His second
workv Holland's Modern
iiethod For Jhe Guitar.
was publish in ,1876.
'These two JBook' made
him Wauthqrjty on the
"guirr until recent times;
a0 lit music catalogues,
m '4-asthe expertmost
bRren cited iMder the
heading of GuitdrfMusics
Elizabeth Taylor Green
field (1809-1816) was born
a slave id Natchez,.
Mississippi, but was
adopted by a kindly
Quaker family and taken
to Philadelphia as a
youth. There her mentor,
Mrs. Greenfield,
discovered the remarkable
beauty and purity of tone
that her word possessed in
a clear, sweet soprano.
Although her religion j
forbade the inclusion of'
secular music in the home, !
or the pursuit of such a;
career, Mrs. Greenfield
gave to Elizabeth as much
support as she could
without compromising her
principles. Upon her
death, she left Elizabeth a
bequest that enabled Miss
Greenfield to pursue her
studies with renewed and
insatiable vigor,
Labeled ."The Black
Swan," she began to ac-.
quire some (stage presence
and professionalism by
singing in concert halls
throughout Ae North and
Canada. After performing
for the Buffalo Musical
Association in 1857, she
was favorably compared
to the greatest sopranos of
that time: Malibran, Son
tag, Grisi, Parodi and Jen
ny Lind - The Swedish
Nightingale. Her tremen
dous range of Wi octaves
surpassed Lind's. -
Before embarking for
Europe in 1853, the artist
gave a farewell concert
before 4,000 enthusiastic
listeners. While in Europe,
she sang under .the
patronage of the English
nobility and performed at
a Command Performance
before Queen Victoria in
Buckingham Palace on
May 10, 1854.
Upon her return to the
States in the summer of
1854, she opened a voice
studio in Philadelphia,
where she occasionally
performed in concert until
he; death in 1876.
Thomas Bowers
(c. 1836-1 885), was the se
cond son of 'free parents
"who were ; natives of
Philadelphia. His father
was warden of . St.
Thomas' AME Church
and had his eldest son,
John, tutored at the organ
and piano. John then
taught Thomas. At the age
of eighteen, he succeeded
his elder brother: as St. -Thomas
organist. .
Although sought after
by Frank Johnson to join
his band, his promise to
his parents to play or sing
only classical or religious
music prevented him from
accepting Johnson's offer.
He made his debut as a
tenor and went on tour.
Upon his return, he was
accepted as a pupil by the
Black Swan, and occa
sionally toured with her.
Bowers' magnificent ar
tistic ability accorded him
the title of The American
Mario or, The Colored
Mario after Conte de Can
dia Mario, the most
famous Italian - tenor of
that period. His repertoire'
consisted of standard
arias, oratorios and
ballads.
' Bowers strongly
resented the caricature of
the black race that white
minstrelsy presented, and
he wrote to a friend,
"What induced me more
than anything else to ap
pear in public was to give
the lie to a; "Negro
Serenaders and to show
the world that colored
. men and women could
sing classical music as well
,as the members of the
other race by whom they
have been so terribly
vilified."
He refused to perform
at a concert in Hamilton,
Canada unless the
management seated a
group of blacks to first
class seats who had been
refused admission to that
section. Their yield to his
demand probably marked
the first time that one of
his race used his artistic
appeal to protest
discrimination.
'Bowers' .,' rejection of
white minstrelsy,, in fact,
. all minstrelsy, was shared
by many blacks. These
shows were initially com
posed of a group of white
who performed in black
face. .
It wasn't until the early
1860's that a black group,
Lew Johnson's Plantation
Minstrel Company, came
into being. They, too,
blackened their faces and
exaggerated theic mouths
with makeup. The greatest
difference, however,' t is
that the whites imitated
the blacks. Since the
"genuine article" could
not be truly duplicated,
the whites . specialized in
slapstick humor and buf
foonery. Langston
Hughes wrote that blacks,
the "genuine article," in
their inimitable ability to
use syncopated time and
beat, introduced new
dances, songs annd
routines that ". . . .the
whites had not ap
propriated. The stop-time
taps, the 'Sand' and the
'Virginia Essence'
(soft-shoi) Were introduc
ed. Some early stars were
Wallace Kjmg, a. falsetto
specialist who was billed
as "The JMan with the
Child Votye.V The Bohee
Brothers I who accom
panied their soft-shoe
dance with their banjos,
and Charles Cruse,
"stand-up" comedian.
To Be
Continued
Next Week
Save
This Section
iiuiyiS) U lo)
dMW p TfUl
tit
Long before black Americans made headlines on the playing field, they were
making history. Lots of it. In fields like medicine, exploration, industry, apd on the
field of battle. " ,
The names of these early "all-stars" probably aren't on,fhe tip of your tonue.
That's because they aren't in most history books either. .V ; :
A black man was the first to reach the North Po e. Matthew Henson. a
Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, a black surgeon, performed the world's first sue- j.
cessful heart oneratinn almost nnft hiinHrfvl vparc nanr 4 . I
' v V . WW W ilW MM. A V J WA KJ , , i
In 1761, Benjamin Banneker designed and built the first striking clock:..; J
It was also the first clock made entirdy in America.' : f ' ir -v?S:i
Ana, on a September morning in 1864, thirteen black soldiers earned "
Congressional Medals of Honor, ftey led the Union Armv's successf Ul assault oh
Chaf fin's Farm, a Confederate stronghold on the outskirts of Richmond, Virginia.
mere are thousands ot stories like these:
Enough to fill a library.
And, thanks to efforts
like BlackHistory Month, someday
they will. ' , -
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